Legislators burn midnight oil to pass budget bills

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - State lawmakers were burning the midnight oil Friday night, trying to settle differences in important budget bills before the end of the legislative session on Thursday.

One of them included passing an $11 billion budget before a midnight deadline. But that deadline came and went, so the house and senate money committees decided to suspend the rules and continue discussions up until Monday morning.

Around 3:00 a.m. conferees finally agreed on a version of the budget.

Another hot item of contention was the proposed $500 million bond-funded capital improvement program, which aims to stimulate growth and jobs for Hawaii's economy.

In 2015, the Federal government passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, allowing states to limit the amount of time that students take standardized tests. A similar bill is traveling through the Hawaii legislature.

In 2015, the Federal government passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, allowing states to limit the amount of time that students take standardized tests. A similar bill is traveling through the Hawaii legislature.